Emory University subsidiary DRIVE has received the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its investigational new drug application of antiviral compound EIDD-2801 to treat Covid-19.

The approval allows human clinical trials by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics in the US. Ridgeback Biotherapeutics exclusively licensed the compound.

Discovered and developed by the university, EIDD-2801 is an orally available compound that works by preventing the replication of SARS-CoV-2.

In animal models, the drug candidate demonstrated activity against SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. EIDD-2801 is also capable of activity against several diseases, including Ebola, influenza, chikungunya and equine encephalitis.

Emory University subsidiary DRIVE CEO George Painter said: "FDA’s prompt approval of our IND allows us to initiate human testing for EIDD-2801 as quickly as possible.

"We are grateful to our collaborators for helping us to assemble this application quickly, and to the FDA for expediting the process. An orally available antiviral medication would be a critical weapon for fighting Covid-19."

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